The typewriter tapped out a nearly musical rhythm as the rainbow-manned pony worked on her latest novel, another spy thriller. most of it fantasy even though some of it she drew from life experience. Though, she never got as many suggestively named femme-fatals chasing her as Dirk Loan tended to.

“I’ll be right there,” she said as she heard a knock upon her door. Times like this she really did feel like an old mare, her bones aching even as she stood. Too much fast living burnt her out.

On the other side of the door was a grey filly in a veiled black dress, her yellow mane pinned up under her pillbox hat. As the door creaked open “Are you Ms. Rainbow Dash?”

“I am,” Dash replied, slightly impatient, the cold wind and cold drizzle making some of her old wounds ache as she stood with the door open.

“You don’t know me, but, I bare some bad news regarding a mutual acquaintance” she said handing a letter, sealed with a six pointed star in purple wax.

“Twilight…?” Dash whispered, running inside with an energy born of panic. The young mare outside following her in and closing the door behind them as the blue pegasus searched her desk drawer, finding a long ornate dagger and using it to open the envelope. Her heart sinking as she read its contents.

“Dead? She died?” the blue mare blinked back tears as she continued reading the letter. “How? Why?”

“She had been having trouble breathing Ms. Dash” the grey filly replied “Though… if I may be frank with you, I think it was the ‘medicine’ she was using finally catching up with her.”

This earned a hard glare from the pegasus as she folded the letter back into the envelope “You should go miss, I’m in no mood for company and I must pack if I’m to be traveling.”

The young mare nodded and saw herself out. Alone again Rainbow Dash began to cry as she hadn’t cried for years.

“Stupid filly… I didn’t actually want you to die,”she said with a sniff “you knew I didn’t really mean that.. right?”